Need to make some sort of bar cookies tonight for teachers appreciation - your faves?

music-city-missy

Well-known member
I've been looking in T&T and have a few ideas. I want to make an assortment that will 'wow' them. But I am still at work and tired so nothing too complicated.

 
Gayle's apricot shortbread bars in T&T are easy and good(use any jam) and do sprinkle with almonds

if you have them. I usually have all the ingredients to throw this together. The cranberry bliss bars are great too, but you might not have all the ingredients handy for tonight. rice krispie treats are always fun topped with colorful sprinkles. I make a double batch and put them in a 9X13 pan so that they are nice and thick. how about plain old toll house cookie dough made into bars, but add some white chocolate chips too and maybe some dried cranberries.

 
Cashew Butterscotch Bars - very simple and way too delicioso

Cashew Butterscotch Bars – Toronto Star Recipe

1 c + 2 tblsp butter softened, plus more to grease pan
¾ c + 2 tblsp packed brown sugar
1 ¾ tsp salt
2 ½ c all purpose flour Makes about 36

3 ½ tblsp butter softened
300 gm bag butterscotch chips
½ c + 2 tblsp light corn syrup
1 tblsp + 2 ½ tsp water
2 ½ c salted cashew pieces Oven 350f.

Line bottom & sides of baking sheet 13x18" with parchment

For crust, in large bowl with rubber spatula, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth.
In small bowl, combine salt & flour. Stir into butter mixture, mixing until well combined, but crumbly. If dough is mixed until ball forms, crust will be tough. Pat dough evenly but gently along bottom of prepared pan, making sure not to pack dough down. Bake 5 min. With fork, prick dough all over. Bake until dough lightly browned, dry and no longer soft to touch, about 7 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack, but don’t turn off oven.

For topping, in large saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, chips, syrup and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter and chips melt, about 5 minutes. Pour topping over crust, using spatula to spread evenly to corners. Sprinkle with cashew pieces, press down lightly.

Bake until topping is bubbly and cashews lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to rack& cool before cutting into bars.

 
My absolute favorite bars...

Suzanne’s Peanut Butter Brownies

Makes 2 dozen bars

1 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can (16 oz) Hershey’s chocolate syrup
3/4 cups smooth peanut butter
1 tbl butter, melted
2 squares (2 oz.) semisweet chocolate (or equivalent in chocolate chips)
1-1/2 tbl. butter

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease a 13x9x2” baking pan. Soft flour and salt onto wax paper. Beat the stick of butter, sugar, and eggs in large bowl until light and fluffy (about 5 min.) then stir in vanilla. Stir in flour and salt just until well blended. Stir in chocolate syrup until no streaks of white remain. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25 min. or until center springs back when lightly touched - don’t overbake. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Mix peanut butter with the 1 tbl. melted butter. spread evenly over top of brownies. Melt chocolate with remaining 1-1/2 tbl. butter in a small bowl, in microwave (about 1 min.). Drizzle this across the peanut butter layer in thin lines about 1” apart. Draw a wood toothpick or thin spatula across the lines, alternating directions for decoration. Let chocolate set before cutting into 24 bars.


(Better Than Starbuck's) Cranberry Bliss Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups uncooked quick cooking oats
3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar; divided
1 cup softened butter or margarine
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

Preheat oven 350°F degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking pan. In large bowl combine flour, oats 3/4 cup sugar and butter, mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture for topping - press the rest into the greased pan and bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.
In large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy, gradually mix in condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over crust. In small bowl combine remaining sugar, cornstarch and cranberry sauce. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserve crumb mixture over top. Bake 40 minutes. Cool at room temperature, refrigerate before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Almond Macaroon Brownies
Source: www.donogh.com/cooking

Brownies:
3/4 cup butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped almonds

Topping:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped almonds
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate

Directions for Brownies: Melt butter and chocolate together. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla, mix well.
Add flour and almonds and stir to combine. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
Directions for Topping: Combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour together in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in coconut and almonds. Spread topping mixture over the brownie layer. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool. Melt chocolate and drizzle over top of the cake. Cut into squares.

Raspberry Shortbread Bars
Food & Wine Magazine, May 2005

Makes 2 dozen 2” bars

Instead of using a rolling pin to make the flaky pastry, the dough is chilled, grated into a baking dish, then topped lightly with raspberry preserves and more grated dough before baking it.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves or jam (8 ounces)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at low speed until combined. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until a soft dough forms. Halve the dough and form into logs. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° and butter an 8 1/2-by-11-inch glass baking dish. Working over the baking dish, coarsely shred 1 log of dough on the large holes of a box grater, evenly distributing the dough in the baking dish. Do not pat or press the dough. Using a spoon, dollop the preserves over the dough and gently spread it in an even layer. Grate the second log of dough on top. Using a rubber spatula, tuck in any shreds of dough sticking to the side of the baking dish to prevent them from burning.
3. Bake the shortbread on the bottom rack of the oven for about 35 minutes, covering it with foil halfway through baking. The shortbread is done when the pastry is golden all over. Let cool completely, then cut into 24 bars. Dust the tops with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Banana Split Bars

Makes 36 bars

2-3 extra ripe bananas, med. size, mashed , to make 1 cup
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, drained and halved

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add oil, pineapple, eggs, vanilla and bananas; mix well. Fold in cherries. Spread into greased and floured 9x13” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until pick comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes then spread with Creamy Vanilla Frosting (below).

Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3-4 tbl. milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In saucepan, heat butter and milk until butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat with mixer until smooth. It will thicken as it cools.


Linzer Coconut Squares

Makes 2 to 3 dozen

1-1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cut in chunks
3 tbl. cold water (approximately)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2-2/3 cups flaked coconut
1/3 cup raspberry preserves

Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles large peas. Sprinkle with water, a small amount at a time, mixing lightly until all particles are lightly moistened and cling together when pressed into a ball.
Press mixture into an ungreased 9” square pan. Bake at 425 deg. for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, beat eggs well. Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until thick and light in color. Fold in coconut.
Spread preserves over baked pastry in pan to within 1/4” of edge. Carefully spread coconut mixture over preserves. Bake at 375 deg. for 25 min. more or until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares or bars.


 
Rocky Ledge Bars

Rocky Ledge Bars

This recipe, adapted from Martha Stewart Living, is featured in the "Martha Stewart Cookies" cookbook.


Ingredients
Makes about 16.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup butterscotch chips
18 soft caramel-candy cubes, coarsely chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the longer sides. Brush parchment with butter (not overhang).
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well combined. Mix in flour mixture until combined. Fold in half of each of the marshmallows, chocolates, butterscotch chips, and caramels.
Spread batter in prepared pan. Scatter remaining marshmallows, chocolates, butterscotch chips, and caramels on top. Bake until top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Lift out of pan, and transfer to a baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes.
Remove parchment, and cut into about 16 triangles. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
First published February 2008


Copyright 2007 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Who's never won? Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.

 
Thanks for all the help - I'm still brain dead this week but here's what I did:

Joe's Lemon Squares - still got Lemon's so Pat's are on the menu for the weekend

Gayle's Apricot shortbread bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Almond Macaroon Brownies

MIL's Butterscotch Brownies (DD requested these so she could sneak one)

Chess squares

I started to make the white chocolate coconut bars so I'll probably try those this weekend too.

I found that cooking has made me feel a little better this week - it's sort of been my therapy for all this stuff with DD. And a coworker's dad is coming up tonight to help them move into their new house - he's bringing me crawfish - LOTS of CRAWFISH. I am going to be such a happy camper when I eat enough of them tomorrow night to bust! I'm feeling better just thinking about them. I've been craving them and had some a couple of weeks ago but they were so expensive in the restaurant that I didn't get anywhere near my fill - only two pounds. He's bringing me 20 and I can have more if I want. I'm doing the happy dance!

 
I know this is late but here is An adaption of Maida Haetter's Supremes

NOTE: I use the food processor to make the crust. First I chop the walnuts a little and remove them. Then I put the flour, baking soda, salt and instant coffee into the bowl. I pulse it a few times to combine it. Then using COLD butter I cube it and add it to the bowl. I process it until the butter is finely chopped. Then I add the egg and vanilla and process just until combined. I add in the oatmeal and finish combining it. I take the blade out and add the walnuts. I combine them into the dough with my hand.


Supremes

These are rich walnut oatmeal bars with a
baked in sweet chocolate filling. The recipe gives a large yield and the cookies are generally best stored in the refrigerator and served cold.


32 OR 48 LARGE BARS,
OR 64 SMALL
2½ cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ pound (2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
3 cups old fashioned or quick cooking
(not "instant") oatmeal
7 ounces (2 cups) walnuts, cut or broken
into medium size pieces

1. Adjust a rack one third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350oF degrees. Butter a 151/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inch jellyroll pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the coffee, vanilla, and sugar and beat well. Add the eggs and beat well. On low speed gradually¬ beat in the sifted dry ingredients and then the oatmeal, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Finally mix in 1 cup of the walnuts (reserve the remaining cup for the topping).
3. Remove and reserve 2 cups of the dough. Place the remainder by large spoonfuls over the bottom of the buttered pan. With well floured finger¬
tips press all over to make a smooth, even layer. Set aside and prepare the following filling.

CHOCOLATE FILLING
1 fourteen or fifteen ounce can sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons butter
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the condensed milk, chocolate morsels, butter, and salt in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove the top of the double boiler from the beat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the warm chocolate mixture over the bottom oatmeal layer
and spread evenly. Place the reserved oatmeal mixture by small spoonfuls over the chocolate, letting the chocolate show through between spoonfuls.
Do not spread smooth. Sprinkle the reserved cup of walnuts evenly over the top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Reverse the pan front to back once toward the end of baking to insure even browning.
The top mounds of dough will flatten slightly but they will not run together to cover the chocolate.
Cool completely in the pan at room temperature, not in the refrigerator, for several hours or overnight.

To cut the cookies: Cut around the sides to release the cake. Then ut the panful into eighths and with a wide metal spatula transfer the sections to a cutting board. Cut each eighth into 4 or 6 pieces. If the cookies are soft and do not cut neatly and evenly (if they squash), chill the pieces on wax paper on a tray or cookie sheet in the freezer or refrigerator
only until they are firm enough to cut neatly.
The cookies may be placed on a tray and covered with plastic wrap or packed in a freezer box or wrapped individually in clear cellophane or
wax paper. If the filling is too soft these should be stored in the refrigerator.

 
Back
Top